LIVE REVIEW: Kill The Lights @ The Bodega, Nottingham

KILL THE LIGHTS, the transatlantic supergroup featuring former members of BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, STILL REMAINS, THROW THE FIGHT and THREAT SIGNAL, have not had the easiest time with their first ever headline tour, especially when it comes to their show in the East Midlands. Those on the inside inform Distorted Sound, pre-show, that the shift in venue from the fairly spacious Rescue Rooms to the more intimate settings of The Bodega was due to low ticket sales, something caused in part by the tour’s fairly late announcement, coming just two months prior; furthermore, three local bands are brought in to support after other plans fell through, one of whom were only confirmed with days to go. All obstacles aside, though, there’s a relaxed atmosphere inside the venue, one slowly filling up nicely as the clock ticks round to 6:35 for the opening band.

Said band are WOLVES DON’T SLEEP, who have their own challenges to deal with, namely that they’re coming on stage just five minutes after doors open. There’s a lot going on in their sound, which centres around metalcore but also invokes moments of metallic hardcore, hardcore punk and the early years of both SLIPKNOT and PARKWAY DRIVE. Tracks like If I’m the Snake, You’re the Ladder and House Of Glass have their moments and the band grow into their set as it goes on, but those watching are absolutely static, either because it’s too early or they’re just not impressed. Furthermore, it becomes apparent that vocalist Steve Bond just isn’t as strong with his clean vocals as his growls; the songs have far more bite when he’s screaming. There’s something there, no doubt, but right now it’s too slight to make much of an impact.

Rating: 5/10

The curiously named BAD LLAMA are also hampered, but this time it’s by the sound system. Like WOLVES DON’T SLEEP, there’s a lot going on musically, but this time it’s in the nuances; mostly drawing influence from the frenetic hardcore punk of CANCER BATS, the guitars often feature a hefty, blues-inspired groove and swing that one would see in BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, for example; there’s even a bit of expansive post-rock too, just for good measure. They’re also extremely tight as a unit and vocalist Kai Jordan boasts a powerful set of pipes, but whilst they play confidently and sparkle at moments, The Bodega speakers just can’t contain the layers and levels, with the sound sometimes reduced to little more than a fuzzy mess. It’s always a shame when a performance has its wings clipped by a factor out of the band’s control, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles, sometimes.

Rating: 6/10

Main support THOSE ONCE LOYAL have opened in both London and Manchester on this run, so finishing their mini jaunt with a hometown show is all rather poetic. Early impressions, however, suggest they might be on a hiding to nothing with a still stationary crowd, especially when frontman Matt Smith calls them out for their reluctance to move and they do, erm, absolutely bugger all. The quartet, however, continue unfazed and finally – FINALLY – the pit opens up. Musically, there are elements of GOJIRA and HATEBREED within THOSE ONCE LOYAL‘s sound, but their main focus is metalcore, specifically the OG sound of the early 00s; such is their alignment, they even drop a cover of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE‘s classic My Last Serenade halfway through their set; predictably, it goes down a storm. It might have been a slow start, but by the end THOSE ONCE LOYAL have put smiles on faces and raised the energy levels considerably.

Rating: 7/10

Now sure, KILL THE LIGHTS were probably hoping they were in front of more than double the punters and with significantly more room on stage, but as one would expect from a band who comprise a rhythm section that have graced arenas in their time, they know what to do and they do it well; plus, seeing such esteemed musicians in a room this small is a wild sight regardless of your opinions towards their other projects. Entering to The Kids Are Back by TWISTED SISTER and blitzing straight into Hear You Scream from latest record Death Melodies, they’re immediately starting pits and have more than a few people singing the words back at them. Guitarist Jordan Whelan gets a chance to show off his chops in Dead From the Start and Broken Bones – currently their most streamed song – is a crushing mid-set highlight; just prior to this, The Enemy even sees a stage diver, which is no mean feat given there’s about a foot of height difference between the levels.

There are, however, a couple of points of contention. The first – and biggest – is that there are so many other bands out there playing KILL THE LIGHTS‘ brand of metalcore. Sure, they play it extremely well and the reaction they get is testament to that, but there’s nothing that makes them truly stand out, which is indicative of how saturated the scene has become in the near 25 years it’s been around.

Secondly, and more telling in terms of this show, is that they’re on stage for less than an hour, which always feels a bit of a mickey take even if they’re the last of four bands playing. However, they do run through fourteen songs in that time and with the speed of a fully loaded freight train; by the time they finish with The Faceless to a rapturous response, nobody really seems to care. A strong performance all round, even if their compositions feel like they’ve been heard a hundred time already.

Rating: 7/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Nottingham from Kendall Giles-Davidson here:

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